West Virginia Just Became the Last State to Report a COVID-19 Case. It Was Only a Matter of Time

Every U.S. state has now reported at least one confirmed case of COVID-19, following a positive diagnosis out of West Virginia. West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice confirmed the case Tuesday evening, saying it had been detected in the state’s Eastern Panhandle. “This is real and it’s really concerning,” Justice said. The case comes just a day after President Donald Trump praised Justice—who he called “Big Jim” at a Monday press conference—for “doing a good job” in keeping West Virginia free of COVID-19. Doctors, lawmakers and West Virginians were quick to point out, though, that the state’s conspicuous lack of COVID-19 cases was likely due to limited testing capacity, rather than a singular stroke of public-health preparedness. Justice on Monday declared a state of emergency, while Sen. Joe Manchin tweeted earlier on Tuesday that “West Virginians should not let their guard down on #coronavirus just because we don’t have a confirmed case. We need to act now to prevent a catastrophic outcome for our state.” Pamela Brannon knows about the state’s limited testing capacity as well as anyone. She returned from a month-long trip from Uganda on March 8. About a week later, a cough unlike any she’d had before settled deep in her chest. Brannon, 54, called her doctor on March 14, asking where she could get tested for COVID-19 near her home in Charles Town, W.V. She was transferred to a public he...
Source: TIME: Health - Category: Consumer Health News Authors: Tags: Uncategorized COVID-19 News Desk Source Type: news